The Nature of Myth, Powell, Ch 1:

• divine myth, legend, folktale, traditional story, oral vs. written

Creation Myths, Leonard, Ch 2, Powell, Ch 4-5, pdfs

• know the following:
  • In Leonard:
    • Dogon (all & humans): Amma, Jackal, Nummo, Earth, Clay
    • Iroquois: Sky woman, the sorcerer, Waterfowl, Beaver, Turtle, Sky woman's daughter, tree of light
    • Sumerian (humans): Anu, Enlil, Shamash, the Anunnaki, Ulligara, Zalgarra
    • Hebrew (all & humans): God, Adam, Eve, Serpent, Eden, Tree of Life
    • Mayan (all, humans, flood): Sovereign Plumed Serpent (also called Heart of the Sea and associated with Maker, Modeler, Bearer, Begetter), Heart of Sky (also called Hurricane)
      
      
  • In Powell:
    • Greek (all): Chaos, Gaea, Eros, Uranus, Cronus, Rhea, Cyclopes, sickle, Aphrodite, Erinyes, Zeus, Typhoeus, Hesiod's Theogony
    • Greek (humans/flood): Prometheus, Epimetheus, Pandora, Deucalion, Pyrrha, Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days.
    • Mesopotamian (all, flood): Enuma elish, Tiamut, Apsu, Marduk.
      
      
  • Pdfs in Moodle:
    • Norse (all & humans): Niflheim, Muspelheim, Ymer (or Ymir), Odin, Vili, Ve
    • Big Bang (all): nothing, vacuum, fire, light (later microwaves), crystals, dust
      
      
• basic questions for the creation of mortals (not applicable to all):
  • Who is(are) the creator(s) of humans?
  • What material(s) is(are) used in the creation of humans?
  • How are humans different from other animals?
  • Why are humans created (i.e. what role/purpose do they play in creation)?
• Flood myth (Greek, Mayan, Mesopotamian): why, who survived?

Myths of the "Olympian" gods: Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades (Powell, Ch 6)

• Key Names & Terms: Zeus, aegis, xenia, Moerae, Graces, Ganymede, Hera, Poseidon, Hades, anthropomorphism, animals/powers associated with Zeus, Hera, & Poseidon

Myths of the Olympian gods: Apollo (Powell, Ch 7)

• Key Names & Terms:
  • birth: Leto, Hera, Zeus, Delos, Apollo
  • oracle: Telephusa, Delphi, Pytho, Pythia
  • loves: Cassandra, Sibyl at Cumae, Daphnê, Coronis
  • son: Asclepius

Possible Essay Questions

• Mayan:
  • Sources to draw from: Ch 2 from Leonard; Ch 4-5 from Powell; pdf for Norse
  • Prompt: In the Mayan myth, the deities make 3 different attempts to create humans, using 3 different materials. In your essay compare each Mayan attempt to an attempt from a different culture that is most like the Mayan attempt (i.e. 3 other cultures total) from the sources just listed (use these only).


• Big Bang:
  • Sources to draw from: Ch 2 from Leonard for Mayan & Hebrew; Ch 4 from Powell for Greek & Mesopotamian (though you may use Leonard, ch 2 for the Greek as well); big bang pdf.
  • Prompt:We have seen how one can describe the big bang poetically. For two of the following (Mayan, Hebrew, Greek, & Mesopotamian), examine ways they are similar to the poetic big bang and ways they are different (use only the sources just listed).


• Social:
  • Sources to draw from: Ch 2 from Leonard; Ch 4-7 from Powell.
  • Prompt: Myths may often reveal the parameters of a society, e.g. how parents should (or should not) relate to their children. Discuss for three different cultures from the sources just listed (use these only).